PORTLAND, Ore. – The Great Northwest Athletic Conference and the Lone Star Conference announced a non-conference scheduling alliance covering the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

GNAC and LSC teams will meet a total of 26 times in the two-year period with 13 games each season. The agreement, which was unanimously approved by the executive boards of both conferences, includes participation by all 13 football-playing members of the two leagues.

The scheduling alliance does not affect either the GNAC or the LSC’s normal conference schedule models. The GNAC will continue with a double round-robin format (total of six games for each of the four members) while the LSC will continue with its single round-robin schedule model (eight conference games for each of the nine members).

The GNAC and LSC are two of the four conferences assigned to NCAA Division II Super Region 4.

“GNAC and Lone Star teams have routinely faced each other in non-conference play over the years and this agreement takes the relationship to a new level,” said Dr. Jim Gaudino, president of Central Washington University and chair of the GNAC CEO Board. “The agreement is unanimously supported by the GNAC presidents and athletic directors as a fiscally prudent approach to mitigating the non-conference scheduling challenges faced by teams in both conferences. We are appreciative of our Lone Star partners in seeing the value of this alliance.”

“This is an extremely valuable arrangement for both conferences, and we are excited to be significantly increasing the number of times our teams meet for non-conference Super Region 4 contests," said GNAC commissioner Dave Haglund. "In addition to supporting the Division II philosophy of in-region competition, these games are critical to the evaluation process used in determining at-large berths from our region into the NCAA Championships field.”

“The LSC and GNAC football alliance provides a model for collaboration across conferences. By adding teams from the GNAC to the football schedules of LSC members the competitiveness and completeness of both conference schedules are enhanced. We are grateful to have GNAC universities as our partners in producing first-rate football experiences for our players, our students, and our fans,” said Dr. Suzanne Shipley, Midwestern State University President, and chair of the LSC Council of Presidents.

“I applaud the leadership of both conferences for approving this scheduling alliance. Football non-conference scheduling can be difficult and costly for our schools and this agreement provides a creative solution. These quality in-region nonconference matchups will not only benefit our schools in regards to NCAA postseason access, they’ll provide a great experience for our student-athletes and position our football programs for future success,” said LSC commissioner Jay Poerner.